Lands' End - Nine Days Shopping

I'm not a proponent of shopping during the Nine Days. I know that Ashkenazic custom frowns on the practice, while Sephardim have a bit more wiggle room. But, in my completely non-rabbinic opinion, a deal is a deal and there are some deals worth sharing during the Nine Days.

I received a large Lands End order in the mail on Monday. I cannot emphasize it enough that I LOVE MY PURCHASE! I haven't been this excited about an online purchase since I received the Lands' End clothing mentioned in this blog post from December 2011. Yes, it has been that long since I loved a ton of clothing at once.

Here is a breakdown of what I received and why I love it. I found every item of clothing to be consistently sized. For those who are unfamiliar with Lands' End's sizing, think of it as more your "happy" size than your default size. I know I will get grief from my friends for posting this, but I'm 5'8", 125-130 lbs and my Lands' End size is solidly an XS or a 4. Their sizing is a tad more generous than Gap's, but it's not a full size more generous, so if you're in between sizes at Gap, size down for Lands' End, if that makes sense.

If you do order Lands' End online, I recommend clicking through Ebates or a similar site in order to earn cash back on your purchase. Lands' End regularly offers 3% cash back through Ebates, but a promotion today offers 6% cash back.

And now for the fashion.

Women's 3/4 Sleeve Sport Knit Dress



I am so excited about the Women's 3/4 Sleeve Sport Knit Dress. It's currently $19.99, no coupon code needed. I found that my collarbone was covered in all three colors I bought - black, navy, and cobalt. And, at 45" it easily covers my knees when I'm sitting. This dress got an enthusiastic reaction from my husband who tends to be very honest about how clothes fit and look on me. (I actually love that about him because I'm often my harshest critic.) He volunteered that these dresses could be worn to a special occasion. While I wouldn't wear them to a black-tie affair, I definitely think they're nice enough to be worn by guests to most frum weddings. I will have to figure out a decent way to tie the sash, but it's relatively thin, so I hope I'll eventually be able to copy the bow on the model. This dress is also available for $24.99 in a navy-with-mini-white-polka-dot pattern. It wasn't available in XS when I placed my original order, but it is available in XS now. I'm thinking of replacing the plain navy dress with the polka-dotted one because it's a really cute design.

The negative with this dress, which is a negative of any dress that gets shipped in little packages is that it arrived wrinkled. These will likely go through the washing machine and dryer before I wear them to get those pesky wrinkles out. (Alternatively I may just tumble dry them after splashing them with some water.) But, the bigger point here is that they're machine washable tznua-off-the-rack dresses for $19.99 - $24.99 and they're backed by Lands' End's Guaranteed. Period.® policy.

Finally, this dress is unlined and made of cotton. If you don't want panty-lines, I strongly recommend pairing this with Spanx (but watch for thigh bulges) or Hanky-Panky-like no-show lace thongs (including Victoria's Secret The Lacie Thong). You could also try wearing a skirt slip, which would allow you to wear a slightly wider array of undergarments with this dress, but you would need to pay attention to lines at your waist from the slip.

Women's 3/4-sleeve 1x1 Snap Boatneck



Comfortable, well-fitting, tznua 3/4-sleeve cotton knit shirts aren't always easy to find. Lands' End is a favorite of mine partially because they regularly make shirts that fit this description. At $12.99 currently, these are available for an awesome price. I already received one in black and after Tisha B'Av, I'm certain it's going to be one of my go-to shirts. I love it and it's impossible to have too many black (and white) shirts. This shirt is available at $12.99 in seven colors, although not every color is available in every size. I'm planning on ordering more in "Raspberry Ice" and "Purple Beet." This shirt looks great with the Sport Knit Skirt featured next.

Women's (Pattern) Sport Knit Skirt



Here is the 27" long Women's Pattern Sport Knit Skirt. It is the same material and pattern as the midnight-with-white-dot Sport Knit Dress discussed above. I'll likely be returning this skirt because it's not as practical for me after I have a dress in the same pattern, but it's very cute. It goes great with the 1x1 Snap Boatneck as seen in this picture. The only negative is that the price is currently $14.99 when it was $10.99 on July 22, the day I placed my order. C'est la vie! It's still a great value. You can also find this skirt in four non-staple solid colors (pink, cobalt, eggplant, and white) for $14.99.

This skirt is not for everybody.  The smooth elastic waistband does not have much give over the hips and I really felt I could break the elastic with time. Sizing up just resulted in the waistband gapping, which did not look nice. I also recommend the same undergarments I recommend for the Sport Knit Dress.

Women's Ashby Essential High Heel Shoes



Clothing is great, but you also need shoes. Shoes are so important. We demand that our shoes be cute, match our outfit, and define our personalities. But we don't always demand comfort. Well, I think we should. And these Ashby Essential 3.25" pumps are some comfortable heels. They're currently $37.97, but I paid $27.99 on July 22 for them. Hopefully, the price will drop again. But, even at close to $40, these shoes are WORTH EVERY PENNY!

First, these shoes are 100% leather - from the upper to the liner to the sole, these are leather. Second, they're very padded inside. I think they're similar in comfort and quality to my Cole Haan Air Violet pumps for which I paid $147.90 in February 2012. Admittedly, the Air Violet pumps are black patent, and I didn't think the black Ashby Patent High Heel Pumps were comfortable, but the nude Ashby Patent pumps were keepers. I found the shoes fit true to my normal shoe size of 9. There is a slight amount of gappage on the sides of my feet, but not more gap than I find for any $100 - $200 pair of shoes.

Merona by Target Hits the Bullseye

I'm not usually the biggest fan of clothing from Target. I often find the fit is off and the materials leave a lot to be desired. However, I still look at the clothing because sometimes there is something surprising. This season, there's a lot to like by Merona.

Take, for example, the Merona Women's Oxford Blazer in Solids or Patterns. The regular price is $34.99, but you can get it in-store this week for $26.24. Online, they currently cost $30.00. These blazers are machine washable(!!!), have a great texture, are not at all shiny, and would make excellent sweater replacements at the office. Some even have cute hidden design details! For example, the Gazelle Brown jacket has navy body lining, white-and-navy-striped sleeve lining, and the lining under the collar is bright pink! (Note also that Gazelle Brown is a bit darker in person than what is shown online. It's more of a pure taupe.) The sleeves of this jacket are also long, which is awesome for us tall women! They're shown in-store with the sleeves slightly cuffed. This is one of the few lower-end jackets I've found that have sleeves that fit me correctly, so if you usually find yourself in the "awkward sleeve boat" this may be the casual jacket for you! I bought it in the White Dot (shown) and the Gazelle Brown. I'm thinking about also ordering it in "Black" and "Green Marker." It's true-to-size.



Obviously, in the office, you'll want a nice shirt that's versatile to go with your blazer. This shirt should be able to be worn by itself when it isn't cold or be able to look nice under the blazer. Well, Merona has the shirt for that, too! And, it's only $9.00 on-sale this week both in-store and online ($12.00 regularly)! It's the Women's Boatneck Tee in Solids and Stripes. While I found the "Fresh White" color to be a bit too see-through for my taste, I though the "Black" (shown) looked lovely and I want to order it in "Rubenesque Red," which is really more burgundy in color. This shirt happens to be a bit oversized, so I recommend ordering the size you purchase t-shirts in at Talbots or Lands End. I found the shirt covered my collarbone (but just barely) and was fitted, unlike shown on the model. It also used extra material to close part of the boatneck, which almost appears like a wide-sleeved tank top is being worn underneath the shirt.



While I didn't find the Women's Jersey Knit Wrap Skirt in my store, it looks pretty awesome. I'm considering purchasing it in black. It appears to hit just below the knee. I believe this skirt would be a great complement to the blazer and shirt shown above.



There are many more items at Target that you may want to consider. There's also a lot of clearance in-store right now; MLB apparel is currently 50% off at my local store and has been for over a week. I've bought my children summer games at up to 90% off, and I bought a birthday present also on a great clearance deal. If you haven't gone shopping at Target lately, you're really missing out!

Gymboree's Little-Known Adult Clothing Line, Shade

You may not know, as Gymboree has an oft-overlooked and oft-ignored women's clothing brand called "Shade." The store sells misses and maternity sizes, with most clothing items being on the relaxed-side; think Ann Taylor Loft meets J. Jill. Nothing is too exciting, the regular prices are relatively high for what the clothing is, and Gymboree spends absolutely no time or money marketing it (unless, of course you count one Facebook post in December 2011).

Shade has 8,523 likes on its Facebook page, which isn't too shabby, but isn't great, either. (Note that Gymboree's Facebook page has over 437,000 likes.) But, many of those who like the page liked it before Gymboree purchased Shade. See, Shade started in 2004, joined Facebook in May 2010, and by the end of 2010 had closed. Gymboree bought it and reopened it as an online-only store in mid-2011. And then ignored it, as I perceive it.

Why would we be interested in Shade? Shade was founded in 2004 by two Mormon women in Utah who got tired of not being able to find modest clothes (sound familiar)? They designed a few basic shirts and their sales increased by 30% per month for awhile. Even non-Mormons liked to find shirts they didn't hang out of on top and didn't show plumbers' cracks on the bottoms! Holy cow!

Unfortunately, for whatever reason, they closed toward the end of 2010 and Gymboree bought them and brought them back with only making "minor" alterations to Shade's basic design style (read: lower necklines and some alterations to swimwear, I believe reading awhile ago). So, in a bid to get more customers by having more styles, they may have alienated the brand's most loyal customers while not making much of an attempt to get new customers to replace them.

Now here comes the Tznua Fashionista part of the whole story: The website currently looks like it's having a fire sale. Like, the clothing is dirt cheap. With free shipping and free returns. I don't know what this means for Shade's future prospects; Gymboree hasn't said they're closing the site or anything like that publicly. But, based on my infrequent visits to the site, it seems to be treated like the step-child of an indifferent step-parent.

Because of the irresistible prices I just placed my first order. Here's what I bought for a total of $27.32, including tax. (Still not quite sure where that tax is doing there.) There are more tznua clothing options on the site that I didn't buy because I didn't love them for me.

Note: Please pardon these less-than-crisp images. That's how they are on Shade's site, no joke. When I say the site doesn't get the attention it deserves, I'm not kidding. When you're on there, read the descriptions and see what doesn't make sense. I just have to shake my head.

The Drawstring Maxi Skirt

At $11.99, this item is a steal. It only comes in "Black." It says it's shiny satin, but it has a drawstring, so I'm not sure if I'm supposed to wear it for nicer occasions or if it's casual. But you know what? I don't care. It was $12 and it's a 40"-long skirt!



The Stripe Boatneck Slub Tee

This pretty little shirt cost the budget-busting amount of $5.99. I would have preferred to try it in a small, but it was sold out, so I settled for the extra-small. It says "free returns" anyway, right? (Note to my friends reading this: if it doesn't fit, feel free to try it on if you want to buy it off me before I return it.) I bought it in the "White/Fawn Stripe" color. The "White/Peach Stripe" color was already sold out when I found it.



The Slub Polo Shirt

The last item I purchased was this polo shirt for $7.79. It has buttons all the way to the collar, so it can be closed to the neck for super tznius-ability. Or, you can live dangerously and leave a few buttons unbuttoned. But if you go this route, here's a warning: it may lead to mixed dancing (the horror!), and we all know what that leads to... yeah, less reading of my blog. So, keep needing to search for those super-tznius clothing items we all love to hate to go shopping for! Anyway, I bought it in "Whisper Blue" because "White" was sold out



One final note: I have a newish general policy of not posting sale clothing and clothing in limited sizes on my blog. These items generally get short snippets on Tznua Fashionista's Facebook page instead. This warranted a blog post because of the nature of the discounts and how little-known the brand is.

Denim Maxi Skirts

It's always hard to find denim maxi skirts, and it's even harder to find denim maxi skirts that are at least 38" in  length. But I found two different denim maxi skirts at Zappos while browsing the internet this evening, and I'd love to share them with you.

Before I introduce the skirts, I have to be honest that I have no experience with either brand I'm featuring. The good news, however, is that Zappos provides free 1-day shipping and free returns. So, if you buy a skirt and you don't like it, you can return it. Or, you can buy multiple sizes and keep what fits you best.

The first skirt is the $79.50 Blank NYC "The Maxi Skirt" in Crank Shaft. This skirt is 40" long and has a small slit in the back. The color "Crank Shaft" seems to be a medium blue, and perhaps too saturated for a pure denim look. If you search the internet, you may find some other sites selling this skirt in white, but it is only available in very limited sizes for very small-waisted people. It's also 98% cotton and 2% spandex, so it won't look exactly like a pair of 100% cotton jeans. Note, that in my experience with "denim" skirts, 98% is a pretty high cotton percentage. I have only owned one denim maxi skirt that was 100% denim, it was from the Gap, and I put more holes into that thing before I threw it out than I care to admit. There was nothing wrong with the quality of the Gap skirt. I just wore the thing to death because it was actual denim.

I still think the skirt looks pretty nice. I'm debating whether to buy one myself, and if I do buy it, what size to get. If you have any experience with the "Blank NYC" brand's sizing, please feel free to leave a comment regarding it! Here's a picture of the skirt, so you, too, can debate whether you want to buy this skirt.



The second skirt is the $67.99 Blue Belle A Line Skirt by Roper in Blue. It's a darker denim color and is also supposedly light-weight. Zappos states that the skirt is 36" long and is made of 97% cotton and 3% spandex. Roper states that the skirt is 38" long and is made of 98% cotton and 2% spandex. I contacted Zappos' customer service to see which site is correct, but their best recommendation was to order the skirt and measure for myself. If you already own this skirt and know it's material content and length, please feel free to share in the comments section.

Despite not knowing the skirt's specs, I really like that this skirt doesn't have a slit, yet still looks like it's easy to walk in. That's very important given that there are so many skirts that make walking nearly impossible. Here's a picture of the skirt, which helps to show how much material the skirt has on the bottom.



Basically, both skirts seem like good options for casual days. Both skirts have a mature look (e.g. you won't be mistaken for a teeny bopper while wearing one) and look like they're decent values. Given that it's currently about 1:15 AM, I'm not making a decision tonight about whether I will purchase one of these skirts, but I'll definitely give it a lot of thought tomorrow.

Tznua School Uniform Skirt

Lands End has a pleated school uniform skirt available for $40 for girls and $45 for women. It comes in black and classic navy and can be bought in every size from a little girls' size 4 through a women's size 16. (It unfortunately does not come in plus sizes.) According to Lands End it falls to mid-calf, but no specific length is provided on the website. Best of all, it's machine-washable and it supposedly stays pleated after washing!



As I have noted previously on this blog, I'm a big fan of Lands End clothing. While this skirt may be slightly pricey for a school uniform skirt, Lands End often has sales (for example, through the end of today, you can receive 25% off your purchase, but sales often provide 30% or even 40% off), and the quality is excellent. If something ever happens to your skirt, you can exchange it with Lands End for a similar skirt in the same size. So, if you have multiple daughters, you'll only have to pay for the skirt once to make it last through all of them (assuming Lands End continues to produce this skirt).

A Suit for Business Travel

If your job requires you to travel, you need a suit that will travel well with you. But where do you find a quality suit that's tznua and can travel? Jones New York has you covered. JNY makes washable wool/poly blend suits. In other words, suits you can throw into the washing machine and the dryer. And if they get wrinkled in your suitcase, you can always use the iron hiding in your hotel room's closet. Next time that delicious plate of fettuccine alfredo lands on your lap at dinner, you can still wear your suit to that early morning meeting the next day.

Making these suits even sweeter this weekend, Jones New York's website is offering a "Buy More, Save More" promotion through MLK Day. Save 20% on your purchase of two items, 30% on your purchase of three items, or 40% off your purchase of four or more items. New customers can get an additional $20 off a $100 purchase with code "JNYEM9". Accessing the JNY website through Ebates will give you 2.5% cash back. Standard shipping is free with a $99 minimum purchase.

Here's my four-item shopping bag for professional business travel.

My first pick is the $229.00 Washable Wool Tuxedo Jacket in black. It's sleek in a Mad Men-inspired way. I love the single button closure and the notched collar.

My second pick is the $119.00 Washable Wool Skirt in black. It's a classic a-line skirt in a material that coordinates with the jacket. It can be worn with almost anything to almost anywhere. It's timeless, sophisticated, and a great length at 29". If you prefer it to be shorter, you can bring it to your local seamstress or tailor to make it the perfect length for you!

My third pick is the $64.00 No-Iron Easy Care Boyfriend Shirt in white. As the name says, it never requires ironing and is fully machine washable and dry-able. It's 100% cotton, which is the fabric I prefer for professional button-down work shirts. And, it buttons all the way to the collar. If white's not your style, this shirt also comes in seven other colors.  It's a can't-miss for the working woman.

My fourth pick is the Fitted Diamond Button Front Shirt in Raspberry & White, on sale for $49.00. It's washable, although it may require some ironing once you reach your destination. It's an interesting print and a nice change of pace from the basic white shirt. It comes in four other colors if raspberry isn't your thing.

With the 40% discount, the total cost for all four pieces is $276.60. The coupon code brings the cost down to $256.60. In other words, for less than the regular price of the suit alone, you can purchase the suit and two shirts this weekend. With the savings you can even splurge on accessories!

Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale

My favorite sale of the year is Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale. It's Nordstrom's only sale where they discount products meant for an upcoming season and discount wardrobe staples. This year, they have some pretty great tznua high-end designer dresses on sale, as well as a designer skirt and a few shirts.  I'm highlighting my favorite five items from the sale, but there are other tznua items on sale that are a bit more trendy and do not suit every taste.

The Anniversary Sale begins July 20 and ends August 5 (prices go up August 6). Nordstrom credit card holders can shop the pre-sale in stores and online going on now.

First, the dresses.

I love this dress by Lida Baday.  It will be on sale for $599.00 and cost $1,060.00 after the sale. I know it seems pricey, but a tznua suit by this designer at Nordstrom costs $1,295.00 for the suit jacket and $625.00 for the skirt. So, this dress is a relative bargain at $600. And while my lawyer friends wouldn't necessarily be able to get away with wearing this dress in a courtroom, I think that this dress would be a great suit substitute for most job interview and job-related presentation situations.  This dress is made of wool and is fully lined, so you may not want to add this to your summer wardrobe, but its tailoring is impeccable.

Also of note is this jersey dress by Michael Kors in "blackberry."  This dress will be $799.00 on Anniversary Sale and $1,395.00 afterward. Surprisingly, this dress is not lined, so I'm not 100% certain how forgiving the top will be, but I believe the tailoring of the bottom will be very forgiving. It's definitely much more expensive than the lower-end Ralph Lauren dresses available last winter (the American Living version was featured on my blog in February). I wouldn't recommend it as highly as the Lida Baday dress, but if you're a big fan of Michael Kors, any tznua dress by him is a great find. The dress is also available in black for the same price.

Next, the skirt.

I know first-hand how hard it is to find any tznua pencil skirts. The ones that are long enough are generally way too tight. So, you can imagine my excitement when I found this skirt by Nic + Zoe. Other than the fact that it's a matte dark brown and not black, it's pretty much a perfect pencil skirt; it's slimming, interesting, and not tight. It's like a pencil skirt miracle! And at $78.90 for the sale (and machine washable!) it's a steal compared to it's future regular price of $119.00.

And finally the shirts.

So you're probably waiting for me to post an item that's affordable to the masses. I have it right here. This long-sleeve cotton crewneck tee by Caslon, which comes in 15 different colors, is only $15.90 on the sale and $25.00 after. I can attest that these shirts are made incredibly well. They do not shrink when washed properly, they are a perfect length, and will not ride up to show your back or belly. They also last forever. Plus, Nordstrom provides free standard shipping for every purchase, so you won't have any surprising costs when you checkout!

The last featured shirt is a dressier long-sleeve crewneck tee by Norstrom Collection in stretch modal fabric. It comes in two colors - ivory and red. It will be on sale for $64.90 and cost $98.00 after the sale. This shirt is intended for situations where cotton isn't dressy enough - such as at work, at shul, or to wear under a blazer.

Full disclosure: I was employed by Nordstrom throughout much of college. They were a terrific employer and the job has helped me get every job I've held since. I have not been paid by Nordstrom since 2004 and I don't get any commission from my blog.

Maternity Skirts for $30 or Less!

When I was pregnant with my son, who will turn two on Shabbat, I had a terrible time finding tznua maternity skirts. I ended up paying a small fortune for skirts that I didn't love, didn't fit right, and didn't really last through my entire pregnancy.  It was very frustrating.  However, I did love the few Secret Fit Belly skirts I bought from Motherhood Maternity, Pea in the Pod, and Pea in the Pod Collection.

Well ladies, the dark ages of maternity skirt shopping are over! Destination Maternity (the site featuring my three favorite maternity skirt stores) has at least eight tznua maternity skirts for $29.99 or less!  That's, right, 8! I'm featuring four of them below, but you can explore the site.  Please note that through Sunday, Destination Maternity is offering an additional 30% off all sale and clearance items, so a few of these skirts will be more than $30 again as of Monday.

Work Skirt #1: The Black Maxi

This was the most elusive skirt to find two years ago. I ended up spending about $70 on a black pleated skirt at a tsnuis store that lost its pleats after a couple of washings and didn't fit past month seven.  It was the only long black tznua maternity skirt I could find that looked OK on me.

Flash forward two years and we have this black maxi skirt by Motherhood Maternity.  At only $29.98 regular price, it's a bargain compared to what I went through two years ago!  Here's the picture:




Work Skirt #2: The Black Midi

I actually managed to find a couple of black midi skirts while pregnant with my son.  Neither wanted to stay on me, however, even at eight months pregnant.  Would I have loved a Secret Fit Belly midi!  Now, Motherhood Maternity is selling one for all of $26.98 regular price!




Denim Skirt #1: American Star Denim Maxi

I was never able to find a denim maxi skirt when I was pregnant with my son.  I found one at Motherhood Maternity that went to mid-calf, and that was the best I could do.  Now, Destination Maternity is offering two denim maxi skirts and they're both on clearance! Both are currently $29.99 on clearance with the additional 30% bringing the price down to $20.99!  I almost think the non-pregnant ladies should jump at that deal and buy these up!

The American Star Denim Maxi is lighter in color, features a frayed hem and a Secret Fit Belly, and is an affordable denim maxi maternity skirt!




Denim Skirt #2: Blank NYC Denim Maxi

At the same price as the American Star denim maxi, any preference between the two denim skirts is primarily a matter of taste.  Since they're both sold by Destination Maternity brands and feature the same Secret Fit Belly, I would presume they should fit the same. (Note: I never had any issues with the fit of the clothing from these companies two years ago and I was the same size in everything I bought from them.)  The Blank NYC denim maxi is darker in color than the American Star denim maxi, has five pockets, and features a frayed hem and Secret Fit Belly.  At $20.99 (or $29.99 after June 3rd), it's a steal, especially since the regular price was $99.50!

$10 Denim Skirt, a.k.a. J.C. Penney, Part Deux

I've been singing the praises of J.C. Penney a lot lately. So much so that I feel like the recent Ellen Degeneres commercials for J.C. Penney are the stories of my life. Now, it's my turn to share more of my new-found love with you.

You may know that J.C. Penney recently went through a rebranding. A really big rebranding. They eschewed sales, instead opting for a "fair and square" pricing and returns policy. Basically, their regular prices are similar to Target and their return policy is the same as Nordstrom's. They even changed their logo. And it really seems like a different store. Not only are they standing behind their products, but from my unscientific analysis walking around the store, the new prices are about 50% less than the old original prices. That's right, the new regular prices are as good or better than the best sale prices used to be. That's exciting news, at least to a shopping fanatic like me.

So how does this play into more tznua clothing? Well, I just scored the Rocker Maxi Skirt by Bisou Bisou in Bisou Bisou's Dark Denim Collection. It has a more descriptive but less colorful name on the website. I'm reading the name off the tag. If you wear mermaid skirts, this skirt is near perfection. It fits extraordinarily well, is the perfect length for us taller women (it feels like a 39" skirt rather than the 41" listed on the website), and is a beautiful color. Order it in what you consider your "normal" size, not your size in clothing that's sized large. It fits the same as other Bisou Bisou skirts if your know your size in the brand. Since it's mermaid, it cannot be a true denim. Instead, it's 75% cotton, 23% polyester, and 2% spandex. The spandex really helps it stretch well to make walking comfortable.



Yes, the keychain is easily detachable.

The skirt is currently available in every size 2 through 18 for $25 online right now. In store, the current price is $10. Yes, that's right. $10. I recommend buying the skirt online and going to the store with your receipt for a price adjustment. Or, buy more than one and price adjust both. I now own two of this skirt.

I know it's not 100% cotton denim. It's not going to be able to replace everything a perfect real denim skirt can do. I really miss my old perfect $12 Gap denim skirt I had for 10 years before the fabric finally decided to disappear in the dryer. It really made me regret not buying the $100 7 for All Mankind long denim skirt from C-Mart (may it rest in peace) that I passed on 6 years ago because it was $100 and my salary was not supportive of such a purchase. I still haven't found skirts that are that good. But this Bisou Bisou skirt is a pretty good second and I'm not going to allow myself to be stuck without a long denim skirt again.

Also, I want to touch briefly on my recent shoe purchases. I'm not much of a shoe gal. I don't see much purpose in owning 6 different pairs of patent leather black dressy sandals, 4 pairs of black boots, 3 pairs of brown boots, etc. I like to keep a pair of black sandals, a pair of brown sandals, a pair of black patent high heel (4") sandals, a pair of black boots, a pair of brown boots, one pair of black dressy all-purpose flats, a pair of sneakers, a pair of flip flops, and a pair of non-leather shoes for Yom Kippur/Tisha B'Av. It's that time of year when I've pretty much worn out every pair of shoe I own and I'm trying to rebuild my shoe wardrobe, and maybe add a few extra pairs for fun. I've made several large orders at Nordstrom, including many pairs of Cole Haans, but they appear to be underwhelming. I'm downright disappointed in the cheap plastic materials used to make the platforms of the $158 and $168 pairs of Cole Haan shoes I bought (both in the Air Tali family). I understand that's the lowest price point for Cole Haan, but the shoes look cheap (although the leather is very soft) and they didn't even come with dust bags.

On the other hand, I just scored 2 pairs of $27 leather sandals, in black and tan, at J.C. Penney this evening. They may not win any fashion awards, but they seen to be very serviceable as everyday sandals for the office, long walks, shul (yes I'm casual, sorry), shopping, and everywhere else. The footbed is very comfortable even though it's definitely not leather (but the straps are leather).



So why would I buy $27 sandals at J.C. Penney when I'm a Nordstrom shoe junkie who's normal pair of shoes cost between $100 and $200? Because J.C. Penney is standing behind their products like Nordstrom now. I can wear these sandals out and if I don't like them I can return them. That's a really nice offer. This is the return policy that has prevented me from overstocking shoes over the past 10 years. Maybe now I'll even start saving both money and space because of it.

In short, kudos, J.C. Penney.